Continue the Reformation By Not Replacing Daily Righteousness With Mountaintop Experiences

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There are two major anniversaries that may make a Christian feel that the Rapture is closer. One is the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Most recently, we have the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Protestant Reformation came to be as another monument of Christianity's history in the expansion of the Church. There were pre-Reformation Christians who already opposed the Roman Catholic institution then we have the Protestant Christians. The 500th anniversary might as well be considered a mountaintop experience for many Christians who honor the Reformation.

But there's one question: are we getting too focused on the mountaintop experience. Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8 and Luke 9:28–36 talk about the mountaintop experience of the disciples. Jesus was transfigured and along him were both Moses and Elijah. Peter asks Jesus if he should make three tabernacles. One tabernacle was for Jesus, the other for Moses and the other for Elijah. However the other two prophets were called back to Heaven. Peter like every other Christian may have been too filled by the mountaintop experiences.

The Bible does talk about other mountaintop experiences. Abraham was tested by God on the mountain (Genesis 22). Moses spent 40 days in Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-32). Elijah battled the prophets of Baal in Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). We cannot deny that mountaintop experiences are biblical. But to think that they can replace daily righteousness in the sanctification is utterly foolish. You have to remember that the same Elijah who viciously fought the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 soon retreated to Beersheba which was under the rule of righteous King Jehoshaphat.

The problem with festivities and big anniversaries is this one. Sometimes, you get exhausted after a big celebration then you become lazy after the excitement is over. You may think that 500 years is already enough until the Lord Jesus comes back. You may even lose excitement that if Lord-willing we will celebrate the 501st anniversary. Sometimes, a church may lose its excitement after the silver anniversary (25 years) or the golden anniversary (50 years) because it is not a major milestone. What they may ignore is that every milestone is just as important. If it were not for the minor milestones there would not be a major milestone.

The milestones that must be focused are that of daily righteousness or Christian living. To think that the excitement is over is just like waiting until Christmas or Reformation Day to do better. Instead, the call is to strive to do better at a daily basis. It should never be that you should be complacent with your Christian living just because October 31, 2017 is over. The Reformation did not end at the Wittenburg Door. In fact, we still have the Diet of Worms which was conducted from January 28 to May 26, 1521 and other events of the Protestant Reformation.

It is good to look forward to mountaintop experiences but they should never be used as an excuse to be complacent. Instead, they should be treated as something of empowerment for daily righteousness. Moses was sent to the mountaintop to receive the Mosaic Law to teach the Israelites on how to live. God rebuked Elijah in 1 Kings 19 for cowering after the mountaintop experience. These mountaintop experiences should be a reminder to keep going forward. After the mountaintop one must go down and resume to daily righteousness and not stay stuck on top of it.

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